iPhone Duo sells out: delivery now pushed to January 25

Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable iPhone, opened on October 16. In less than an hour, the delivery date shown on Apple's online store moved to January 25, 2027, for every color and every capacity, even though the official release date is October 23. That's a wait of more than three months, which Macworld describes as the longest it has ever seen for iPhone pre-orders (Macworld). Unveiled on September 9, the device starts at $1,999, or €2,339 in France (see our article on the iPhone Duo unveiling).

1. How the dates slipped within minutes

Even before pre-orders opened, Apple's online store was temporarily down, replaced by a waiting page (AppleInsider). Once pre-orders began, launch-day delivery sold out in under fifteen minutes (The Apple Post). In the US, Macworld tracked the changes live: dates first moved to December 1, then to December 8-15, then to December 15-22, before showing January 25 about thirty minutes after opening (Macworld). France followed a similar pattern: ten minutes in, no configuration could be delivered before late November, and January 25 then became the date for every version, from 256GB to 2TB, in both white and night sky (Économie Matin, iPhoneAddict).

Dates nevertheless vary by country and by when the order was placed. In the UK, a white 256GB model showed delivery between December 14 and 21, and Germany showed mid-December dates. A few buyers who ordered in the very first minutes kept an October 23 delivery.

2. Why stock is so limited

Apple has not shared any production figures. The explanations put forward by the tech press come down to how the device is made: the foldable display and the hinge, designed specifically by Apple and made of more than a hundred parts, are more complex to produce than those of a conventional iPhone (iPhoneAddict). Several reports had pointed for weeks to constrained production and reduced launch stock (AppleInsider). On the demand side, Apple itself had warned that demand "will be high," and Macworld calls the iPhone Duo the most anticipated phone since the iPhone X.

One figure has also been circulating: according to Chinese financial outlet STCN, Apple has raised its component orders by 30% to ship more devices by the end of the year, without exceeding 10 million units. That figure should be treated with caution: it is based on component orders, which don't translate directly into assembled phones, and a similar target had already been reported over the summer (iPhon.fr).

3. What we know, what's still uncertain

Confirmed: the January 25 date shown on Apple's online store for new orders, and an official release date still set for October 23. Likely: shorter wait times in the coming weeks. Macworld and Consomac expect orders could ship before the displayed date as production ramps up (Macworld, Consomac), something that often happens with iPhone launches, though nothing guarantees it. Uncertain: actual production volumes, and therefore when supply will catch up with demand.

4. Other ways to get one

Apple's online store isn't the only channel. In the US, at the time pre-orders opened, T-Mobile showed deliveries in late October, AT&T and Verizon in November, and Best Buy kept October 23 for customers adding or upgrading a line with AT&T or Verizon (Macworld). In France and elsewhere, retailers and carriers also take pre-orders, with their own timelines (iPhoneAddict). Finally, Apple's physical stores are expected to receive limited stock each day from launch, with no reservation system announced so far. For those who have already ordered, keeping the order preserves their place in line, since the displayed date is a maximum estimate.

The takeaway: the iPhone Duo sold out within an hour of pre-orders opening, and new orders on Apple's online store now show delivery on January 25, 2027. The manufacturing complexity of the foldable display and hinge limits launch stock, and Apple has given no indication of its volumes. Wait times could shrink over the coming weeks, and other channels, carriers, retailers and stores, offer alternatives depending on the country.

1. How the dates slipped within minutes

2. Why stock is so limited

3. What we know, what's still uncertain

4. Other ways to get one

Sources

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